Into the Soaring Castle
by Sulfur Dusk
Summary: AU - Hitsugaya: the infamous wizard who commands an enchanted Soaring Castle, has stricken fear into the hearts of many for centuries. Said to boast hair as white as frost and a reputation as dark as his magic, he is not one to trifle with. But none of this information means anything to Rukia, who is convinced he is the answer to her problems... :HitsuRuki:


_**Prince of Gods and Monsters**_

Summary

_In the tiny, poverty-ridden settlement of Desolation, soldier forces remain corrupt and the oldest of traditions spring from ancient tales. Legends circulate through the cobblestone streets like wildfire, and the newest installment concerns the powerful, notorious criminal and wizard Hitsugaya, the self-proclaimed Prince of Gods and Monsters who thrives in his enchanted Soaring Castle. His powers are dark and his influence broad, as he has gained both admirers and those who despise him with as much ferocity as before. And yet, no one really knows the true identity of this man._

_That is, until Rukia, a sharp-tongued, bold-hearted girl from Desolation crosses the dangerous wizard's path in the worst way possible. What lies in the store may not be what either of them expected…_

- Partially inspired by the novel _Howl's Moving Castle _by _Diana Wynne Jones_ -

. . .

**Prologue**

. . .

* * *

…_The Account of a Little Girl Who Became a Woman Too Soon…_

* * *

She'd heard of the old stories when she was just a child. While playing in the cornfield with her older brother Byakuya, the little girl recalled how her mother spoke in a soft, gentle voice, but in the most warning way possible that would have driven even the most tenderhearted animal to their dens.

Her mother was firm and righteous. The most she wanted was the safety of her two children, and the cost of relaying these stories would have risked her time in prison if she were ever caught. Of course, what she said was never scandalous to the king, his family, or even the royal court. No, she simply wanted to be sure that the tales of horror and beasts that laced her children's dreams were brought into light; they needed to know that if they were ever in danger, it would most likely be real.

Byakuya was never the imaginative one; he sought after weaponry and took his training quite seriously with his mentor in the blacksmith shop. Hours and hours on end, he would strike at burning steel and iron ores until his skin scorched with heat and sweat. His little sister, with her childishly open mind, would scour the cornfields and pluck at the flowers until she found one with golden petals.

She was hoping she could sell the petals to help her family move into a richer district, away from the threats of the animals in the Misted Forest that bordered their tender cottage. For years, she remained nameless, because if the soldiers were to find out that the woman was raising a girl, she would be killed on the spot and her children either executed or sold into slavery.

Desolation was a dark, gritty place. Some could say that it was unforgiving and lacked morality altogether. In most cases, especially according to this quaint family, it was especially true. So, in order to distract her children from the real world, with her usual forceful tone and words that could either light something on fire or lull a tiger to sleep, their mother told them stories.

Stories of vengeful gods, of beautiful maidens, of terrifying beasts, monsters, sorcerers, witches, demons… the list was endless, until she rested on one particular fairy tale that actually existed, and stormed through the neighboring settlements like a festering horde of insects.

To the present day, the little girl never forgot the words her mother spoke.

"_This legend is true, my darlings. It is so true that if anything similar to what I am about to tell you ever happens in your life, and if you ever see anything akin to this tale, you must run. You will not stop for anything, on any condition, because if you did, the consequences would be most dire. I would never be able to live with myself if that were to happen."_

The girl remembered her fingers curling into her brother's sleeves; her eyes bulged in curiosity and wonder. Already Byakuya despised his mother's stories; they were horrific and gave his younger sibling nightmares, but in this case, this story was important. Apparently, according to their mother, it was so important that if the words remained unspoken the likelihood of them surviving their future endeavors was close to none.

So Byakuya remained silent, his ears open as one protective arm loped around the child that was far too young to bear the gruesome details that would befall her tiny ears.

Their mother's arms wrapped around them and pulled them close, as her daughter buried her head into her clothes and nuzzled against her breast. She allowed it, as her eyes darkened and for a split second, her beauty faded and her age showed.

"_There is a wizard, a terrible, terrible cretin that thrives on immortality and the worst magic possible. His ways are dark and mystic, and he has lived for centuries and centuries, looking young and deceivingly beautiful, but with that comes a price. He lives in a massive, enchanted castle constructed entirely of ice, brimstone and machinery. He is a dangerous creature with powers that exceed beyond all expectations, and this castle of his moves on the earth, like a tower of death. He calls himself a prince, and he plunders towns and cities and those who cross his path…"_

She swallowed.

"_Those who cross his path never survive. I—I have never seen him myself, but what I have heard is truly frightening. Doors are barred, soldiers are coming in, and even the king is getting involved. This wizard will kill his victims and feast on their hearts—"_

But their mother was never allowed to finish. Within seconds the walls were caved in, the door slammed down, the windows shattered into thousands of glass pieces as the children were tossed away from their mother's arms. The woman was powerless against the forces that intruded their home, the people that pillaged and plundered their belongings as if they were destined to be livestock in the horrible town of Desolation.

For the most part, the little girl kept the memory blocked from her mind, filling in details as she recalled what had happened that fateful evening ten years ago. She couldn't even remember why her mother collapsed the way she did, why she was dead, or how it even happened. She didn't even remember why her brother vanished only a few days after she was buried; abandoned and alone, the little girl sought refuge with the limited resources she had. With no home and no family to turn to, she had no other option.

Of course, the little girl eventually grew up. But did she ever find herself? Not exactly, not with her history and the broken pieces of what she would have liked to believe were just dreams and not reality.

The dusted streets of Desolation were brimming with crime and poverty, and the small population remained nameless of the mysterious girl who no one knew was raised in a household on the corner of the district, next to a single cornfield and an abandoned pumpkin patch.

She was no longer nameless, though, despite the scorning nicknames of "runt", "rat", "street rat", "little bitch" and a much longer list of insults, she brandished her own.

_Rukia_.

It was a name with no meaning, no background, no unusual sound to its construction… but the formerly nameless orphan liked it. She liked it a lot, and with the friends she made growing up on the streets of Desolation, she found that they preferred it as well.

Yes, the girl Rukia _did _make friends.

At the turn of her seventh year she befriended the strangest boy she had ever met: a boy with hair that resembled a frizzy red pineapple, and his name was Renji. Like her, he lived on the streets and made a living stealing bread and, if he was lucky, boar meat from the butcher shop. He was always stronger than her and dealt with the dangerous gangs that populated Desolation like an endless plague, but that of course hadn't stopped them from angry civilians on the sidelines.

In Desolation, people rarely pitied the poor, especially "scum-feeding brats".

After Byakuya had left her, Renji was all Rukia had left. They quarreled, snapped, wrestled, disagreed and yet they cared greatly for one another. It did not help that Renji was a bit overprotective and constantly had to be by her side, but the formerly nameless girl could not blame him; she valued his friendship and his company.

Each day, she fought to survive with her adoptive brother. They were lucky to wake up and gulp in dusted air each morning, to experience life, even if it was not what either preferred. The girl and boy thrived on whatever they would accept.

Little did the young Rukia know, that she was about to cross paths with a man so dangerous and revered, and yet, so intriguing, that the entire world would turn upside-down…


End file.
